Bees have played an essential role in the lives of flowering plants, and the animals that depend on them, for the past 50 million years. To humans, European honeybees are of particular importance, pollinating the wide variety of domesticated crops humans intensively cultivate.

In recent years, growing awareness of the plight of the bees has many people interested in beekeeping and supporting native pollinators with their landscaping and gardens. North America has well over 4,000 species of native bees, non of which are honeybees, that need our help too and are vital to our ecosystem, gardens, and farms. Below are links to more information about bees native to North America and plans for building insect habitats and lists of pollinator attracting plants to promote healthy populations of pollinators in your backyard and neighborhood.